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DISA’s Alfred Rivera to Leave Federal Govt After 35-Year Career
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DISA’s Alfred Rivera to Leave Federal Govt After 35-Year Career


DISA's Alfred Rivera to Leave Federal Govt After 35-Year Career
Alfred Rivera

Alfred Rivera, director of the Defense Information Systems Agency‘s Development and Business Center, will retire in January after 35 years of federal government service.

DISA said Tuesday Rivera will leave his post following a ceremony scheduled to take place Jan. 4 at the agency’s headquarters in Fort Meade, Maryland.

Rivera worked for 25 years at DISA, including roles as strategic relations executive, principal director for enterprise services, computing services director and chief technology officer for the legacy computing services organization.

He joined the agency in 1992 as a systems engineer.

Rivera received the 2006 Presidential Rank Award of Meritorious Service and the 2009 Presidential Rank Award of Distinguished Service for his efforts to transform data processing and computing services for U.S. warfighters.

He intends to work with animal rescue centers and become a consultant after his retirement.

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Report: US Aims to Facilitate Military Drone Exports Via Proposed Arms Control Treaty Amendment
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Report: US Aims to Facilitate Military Drone Exports Via Proposed Arms Control Treaty Amendment


Report: US Aims to Facilitate Military Drone Exports Via Proposed Arms Control Treaty AmendmentThe U.S. government plans to propose a change to an arms control agreement in an effort to facilitate exports of unmanned aerial vehicles designed for military use, Defense News reported Tuesday.

Sources said U.S. officials released a white paper about the proposed amendment to the Missile Technology Control Regime during a plenary session held in October.

MTCR is a treaty among 35 countries that sets rules on missile and UAV exports and subjects to a “presumption of denial” “category-1” platforms with a payload capacity of 500 kilograms at a distance of least 300 kilometers.

Under the proposed MTCR amendment, any drone that operates under 650 kilometers per hour would be classified as “category-2” and would be reviewed for approval on an individual basis.

The reclassification of drones to category-2 would enable the U.S. to sell the UAVs to other countries through direct commercial sales or foreign military sales agreements, the report added.

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Trump Administration Includes Space Commerce Among National Security Priorities
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Trump Administration Includes Space Commerce Among National Security Priorities


Trump Administration Includes Space Commerce Among National Security PrioritiesThe Trump administration seeks to reform space industry regulations as part of the federal government’s 2017 National Security Strategy in a push to attract investments and encourage innovations in the private sector, Space News reported Monday.

The government wants to partner with companies to increase the resiliency of space architectures and drive human exploration missions.

President Donald Trump on Monday provided details of his national security strategy that covers military power, homeland defense, trade policy, border security and economic strength.

Vice President Mike Pence, chair of the National Space Council, will lead efforts to create and update policies as well as evaluate the country’s long-term space goals and strategies.

Scott Pace, executive secretary of the National Space Council, urged the U.S. government and private sector to utilize legal and diplomatic means to establish a stable space environment for commercial and government activities.

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Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. Gets 15-Year Lease for Consolidated DC Headquarters
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Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. Gets 15-Year Lease for Consolidated DC Headquarters


Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. Gets 15-Year Lease for Consolidated DC HeadquartersThe General Services Administration has signed a 15-year lease agreement for the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation to occupy a new headquarters located in Washington, D.C.

PBGC will consolidate its HQ from three leased sites into a 431,785-square-foot facility at 445 12 Street, S.W., Washington, D.C., GSA said Tuesday.

“The new lease will reduce PBGC’s real estate footprint and their utilization rate, and save the American taxpayer approximately $4.5 million in annual leased cost avoidance,” said Mary Gibert, regional commissioner for the National Capital Region of GSA’s Public Buildings Service.

GSA estimates that PBGC will save $4.5 million in annual lease cost and reduce the latter’s footprint by 35,375 rentable square feet through the consolidated HQ.

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Owen West Confirmed as DoD Special Ops Head
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Owen West Confirmed as DoD Special Ops Head

Owen West Confirmed as DoD Special Ops HeadThe Senate voted 74-23 Monday to approve Owen West, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and former Goldman Sachs partner, as assistant defense secretary for special operations and low intensity conflict, Defense News reported Tuesday.

West was nominated by President Donald Trump in June and recommended by the Senate Armed Services Committee for the position one month later.

He will advise Defense Secretary James Mattis on matters related to the department’s special operations.

During his military career, West held the positions of infantry platoon commander, combat adviser and reconnaissance platoon leader.

He also penned books and articles about military affairs and adventure sports.

West also previously served as director of the Positive Coaching Alliance and Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation as well as a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

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Navy to Deploy Seahawk Helicopter Gunner Seat Replacement by 2019
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Navy to Deploy Seahawk Helicopter Gunner Seat Replacement by 2019


Navy to Deploy Seahawk Helicopter Gunner Seat Replacement by 2019The U.S. Navy plans to field a replacement for the MH-60S Seahawk helicopter’s gunner seat by 2019 to address safety issues associated with the current seating system.

The Naval Air Systems Command’s aircrew systems program office is working with the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division’s AIRWorks rapid prototyping team on the replacement effort, NAVAIR said Monday.

Dave Padula, program manager of the aircrew systems program office, said the existing MH-60S Seahawk gunner seat has directly caused medical groundings, decreased mission performance and chronic back injuries among aircrew.

NAVAIR initially sought new seating systems from industry, but top Navy leaders decided to engage NAWCAD’s AIRWorks team to develop a cost-effective platform that can be deployed as early as possible.

AIRWorks Director Gerald Swift noted that the rapid prototyping team provides seat design, program management, lead systems integration, engineering, test and logistics management support under the replacement project.

The team completed the concept design in August 2016, built the first prototype in September and flew the prototype for three flight hours in November.

AIRWorks created the first prototype to demonstrate that NAVAIR could develop a new seat that could address problems such as inadequate leg clearance, insufficient back support and lack of seat adjustability.

In January 2017, the team brought the prototype on a roadshow to the Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego, California to gain feedback from more than 150 pilots and aircrew.

The NAVAIR/NAWCAD team currently works to refine the seat design, digitize drawings and create technical data packages to prepare for the flight test of the second prototype in March 2018.

The Navy also formed a 10-person Gunner Seat Fleet Task Force to gather real-time input from the fleet throughout the prototype development process.

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Navy’s Strategic Readiness Review Recommends More Training for Surface Warfare Officers
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Navy’s Strategic Readiness Review Recommends More Training for Surface Warfare Officers


Navy’s Strategic Readiness Review Recommends More Training for Surface Warfare OfficersThe U.S. Navy has released its strategic readiness review report that includes 26 recommendations the service branch should carry out to address readiness and capability shortfalls, Military.com reported Thursday.

The review published Thursday calls for the service branch to restructure career path and provide more training to surface warfare officers to help increase their experience aboard ships.

The 96-page report recommends potential amendments to the Goldwater-Nichols Act of 1986 and calls for the Global Force Management to set the maximum peacetime force.

The Goldwater-Nichols Act requires U.S. combatant commanders to decide on requests for troops, while the Global Force Management works to streamline communications on asset availability between commanders and services.

Navy Secretary Richard Spencer launched the 90-day review in response to ship collision incidents in the Pacific.

Gary Roughead, a retired admiral and former chief of naval operations, and Michael Bayer, chairman of the Defense Business Board, led the review, the report added.

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FAA Issues Drone Flight Restriction on DOE Facilities
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FAA Issues Drone Flight Restriction on DOE Facilities


FAA Issues Drone Flight Restriction on DOE FacilitiesThe Federal Aviation Administration has moved to restrict operations of unmanned aerial vehicles near Energy Department facilities per request of U.S national security and law enforcement agencies.

FAA said Monday it will use the agency’s authority under Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations section to prohibit drone flights within 400 feet of seven DOE facilities.

The restriction will take effect Dec. 29 and is included in a notice to airmen as well as FAA’s interactive online map and B4UFLY mobile application.

The DOE facilities covered by the restriction are:

  • Hanford Site, Franklin County, WA
  • Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Falls, ID
  • Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM
  • Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN
  • Pantex Site, Panhandle, TX
  • Savannah River National Laboratory, Aiken, SC
  • Y-12 National Security Site, Oak Ridge, TN

FAA issued a similar drone flight restriction on 10 Interior Department facilities in October.

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President Trump Details National Security Strategy
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President Trump Details National Security Strategy


President Trump Details National Security StrategyPresident Donald Trump has unveiled a national security strategy that covers military power, homeland defense, trade policy, economic strength and border security, DoD News reported Monday.

Trump said in a speech Monday the whole-of-government strategy seeks to advance national interests through four pillars and those include the need to protect U.S. citizens and the country; economic security; preservation of peace through strength; and advancement of American influence.

He noted that the strategy also covers cyber and space military domains and calls for the advancement of military modernization.

The national security strategy “calls for streamlining acquisition, eliminating bloated bureaucracy, and massively building up our military, which has the fundamental side benefit of creating millions and millions of jobs,” Trump added.

He also cited the threats posed by North Korea, Russia, Iran and China and the country’s campaign against the Islamic State militant organization, the report added.

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DHS Forms Sector Coordinating Council With Election Industry Members
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DHS Forms Sector Coordinating Council With Election Industry Members


DHS Forms Sector Coordinating Council With Election Industry MembersThe Department of Homeland Security and the Election Assistance Commission convened Wednesday with election stakeholders to organize a coordinating body for sector-specific policies, strategies and activities.

The meeting with election industry representatives as well as local and state election officials worked to launch an industry-led Sector Coordinating Council to be finalized by the new year, DHS said Thursday.

David Wulf, acting deputy assistant secretary for the Office of Infrastructure Protection at DHS, said the SCC framework is designed to facilitate the sharing of threat intelligence between federal government and council partners with the aim to help agencies map the industry’s security landscape and enhance risk management efforts amid evolving threats to the electoral process.

DHS said the introduction of the industry-led council is part of DHS’ election systems security efforts that includes the creation of the Government Coordinating Council for the Election Infrastructure Subsector in October.

The department also included the election infrastructure as a subsector of the existing government facilities critical infrastructure sector in January 2017 in order to give priority to cybersecurity assistance for state and local election officials.

The designation also intended to define globally that election infrastructure is covered under the U.S. government’s protections for critical infrastructure as well as facilitate dialogue on exploration of sensitive vulnerability information between DHS and key stakeholders.

DHS established GCC and SCC in efforts to engage government and the private sector with initiatives for the security and resilience of critical infrastructure sectors set by the Presidential Policy Directive 21-Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience.

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